


Stuck

by DumasofDale



Category: History Boys - All Media Types
Genre: And Rudge, M/M, Pre-Relationship, just briefly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:06:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24354754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DumasofDale/pseuds/DumasofDale
Summary: “Dakin,” Irwin’s voice had a strange note to it.  “How did you close the door?”***A small tangent from the moment when Dakin and Irwin hide in the store cupboard to avoid Felix seeing them smoking.The first time I watched the film I would have bet every penny I had that they would fulfil the cliché of getting stuck in that cupboard and it is to my constant disappointment that this isn't the case. So here it is.
Relationships: Stuart Dakin/Tom Irwin
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	Stuck

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in very realy danger of writing 100 variations on this scene but we'll start with one.

While the word ‘giggling’ was certainly not one that could be applied to any sound Stuart Dakin had ever made, he thought it was a pretty good descriptor for the sound he had just managed to startle out of Irwin as they tumbled back into the PE supply closet and out of sight of the approaching Felix. 

Clicking the door shut to muffle the sound of their shared amusement as their tedious headmaster strolled past, blissfully ignorant of the errant cigarette. Dakin twisted round to grin up at Irwin, who, much to his delight, hadn’t bothered to put any distance between them as they stood huddled against the door and out of sight. 

Iriwn attempted for a moment to stifle his laughter before giving into another chuckle and finally stepping back. Keen to continue their conversation, Dakin stepped back as well to let Irwin open the door.

“Dakin,” Irwin’s voice had a strange note to it. “How did you close the door?”

Letting out a confused chuckle, “What do you mean, ‘how’? It’s a door, I just pulled it?”

Giving a look that plainly said he thought Irwin was barking, Dakin nudged his way into Irwin’s personal space in order to open the door himself.

Only it didn’t.

And after several rattles of the handle and a rather firm kick it continued not to, “Shit.”

“Well this is just brilliant,” groused Irwin, slumping back against the wall.

Running a hand through his hair, Dakin sighed and turned back to Irwin, seeing all traces of mirth gone from his face, “Look don’t worry, there’s sports clubs on every day after school, someone will be along in a bit to collect the equipment. We just have to wait for them to change out. No sense fretting.” This seemed to relax the older man down so Dakin chanced a smile and offered him the cigarette again.

Irwin rolled his eyes but the tension in his face eased some more and he let out a huff of air that could at a push have been considered amusement and accepted the proffered smoke. 

“You’re a disaster you are,” not even pretending to try and hide his glee. “You properly thought we were stuck here, didn’t you?”

“Well sorry for drawing such a mundane conclusion from a locked door,” Irwin muttered peevishly, finishing off the cigarette without offering it back, just to be petty. 

Fishing for a topic to end Dakin’s barely suppressed laughter, Irwin sent out a silent apology for verbally pushing the younger boy under the bus, “So how’s things with Posner?”

Dakin’s answering eye-roll was so exaggerated that Irwin suspected it hurt, “There is no _thing_ with Posner. It’s just a childish infatuation.”

“He says he’s in love with you.”

“He isn’t.”

Dakin paused, the quiet continuing a beat beyond what was entirely comfortable before he rallied and plastered on his usual half smirk, “I’m not interested any way. Not in him.”

“No?” the casual inflection he’d been aiming for died instantly in the small break in his voice halfway through the word, which Dakin immediately pounced on.

“Goodness Sir, I know you barely look a heartbeat older than us but I thought your voice would have finished breaking by now.”

“Ha-bloody-ha.” Irwin wish fervently that he hadn’t been quite so hasty finishing the cigarette. “You can hardly comment on what I look like when it’s pitch black in here.”

“Christ Irwin, I know what you sodding look like. I’ve been staring at you every day for the last few months.”

“You don’t stare at me, I’d have noticed.”

Dakin let out a delighted bark of genuine laughter at the admission, “Well, I can’t say I’ve ever been accused of being too subtle before but if that’s the problem that’s definitely something I can fix.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” but Irwin’s protest sounded unconvincing even to his own ears, made more so when he made no move from where Dakin had taken two quick strides forward to position himself firmly in Irwin’s personal space.

It was true though, Irwin had spent enough time mentally berating himself over how often his gaze drifted over to Dakin and most of the eye contact he’d made was with Posner, the object of their shared attention happily unaware. But Dakin was certainly staring at him now. 

“You are ridiculous. You are. Everything about you is a contradiction, you say the truth doesn’t matter but then you care so much about everything. When you talk you’re bold and sure but your actions are so tempered and restrained. 

And you’re brilliant. You make me want to fight, and try, and push. Whenever I’ve worked for things before it was just because I knew I should and that I’d be able to but you make me want things.” The downward flicker of Dakin’s gaze making it abundantly clear the things he wanted were not particularly academic in nature.

“Look, Dakin-

“Stuart. It’s Stuart.” Irwin found himself holding his breath as Dakin, as Stuart, placed one hand on his shoulder but didn’t make any further move. Leaving an awfully long moment for Irwin to wonder whether or not he wanted him to. 

Finally, Stuart shifted, but before it could become clear whether it was to say something else or to make a more decisive movement the rattle of a key sliding into a lock startled them enough that a second later when the door swung open they were stood several feet away from each other.

“Oh for fucks sake,” Rudge looks decidedly unimpressed. “For Christ sake Dakin, I have to touch this stuff, what’re you doing in here?”

Irwin turned beet red while Dakin only winked and plastered on a dirty grin before sauntering out, leaving Irwin to squawk out a string of “Nothing! Nothing!”s, before hurrying out as well. Irwin looped out the long way round through the staff exit, and blessedly saw no more of his students on route. The final exam was the next day, and he was unlikely to see Stuart, see Dakin, again after that. Which was for the best really. Probably. Surely. It was like he’d said about Posner, just a youthful infatuation, he’d get over it quickly enough. And Irwin, well he’d get over it eventually as well. Probably. 

***

By the time Dakin realised that Irwin wasn’t just wasting time blathering with apologies or thanks to Rudge and that he’d properly been ditched it was too late to catch up with him. Letting out a muttered curse of annoyance he pulled out another cigarette and started his own walk home. As tempting as it was to attempt to go after him now to finish their conversation he did have the exam tomorrow which Irwin had probably realised would give him a bit of breathing room. Likely so he could come up with some more ridiculous excuses. Still only a minor glitch, and if too much _subtlety_ of all bloody things had been the problem that was definitely something he could fix. Hang everything else, next time he saw him he’d just have to spell it out.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on tumblr, I'm [Emeraldpenguin](https://emeraldpenguin.tumblr.com/)


End file.
